lithography
/lɪθˈɒɡɹəfi/ noun
Forms lithographies
- noun The process of printing an image by drawing the image with a water-repellent material onto a hard, flat surface (typically metal), then copying the surface by applying water and ink (or the equivalent) to it and pressing another material against it.
Etymology
From German Lithographie, from λίθος (líthos, “stone”) + γράφειν (gráphein, “to write”). Originally the printing surface was a flat piece of limestone that was treated with grease to form a surface that would selectively transfer ink to the paper; the stone has now been replaced, in general, with a metal plate. By surface analysis, litho- + -graphy.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The art or process of putting designs or writing, with a greasy material, on stone, and of producing printed impressions therefrom.
Etymology [Cf. F. lithographie.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lithography”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details